Wednesday, 30 September 2009

I find this odd. Do other newspapers commission their own polls and construct front page stories out of the results? I don't remember the Freep doing this during the last leadership race for the Conservatives, though granted, in this case the leader automatically becomes Premier, so it may deserve a little extra attention. However, it still seems like a case of the media creating the news rather than covering it.

Further, there appears to be some spinning going on with the piece. If one were to glance at the headline and first few sentences (as I often do) they might get the impression that Manitobans choose Selinger over all potential premiers including the leaders of the opposition parties. The subtitle, for instance, includes the statement: "Who NDP supporters, non-supporters are backing". Look, non-supporters are not backing Selinger. They are simply choosing the lesser of two evils.

Further, most people are not choosing anyone. As Wofrom (presumably this Wolfrom ?) points out in the comments of the story: From what I can see of the numbers, even among NDP supporters, Selinger comes second to "None of the above". This is hardly an overwhelming result for Selinger, and declaring him the "Peoples choice" seems premature, and smells a little bit like booster juice.

Monday, 28 September 2009

Greetings. You may have noticed a lack of activity around here the past couple weeks. I was out of town. I heard that the weather was great while I was gone, and -- as expected -- it's crappy again now that I'm back.

So, besides summer, what did I miss? Is Gary Doer gone yet? Is the new stadium under construction? Has Ignatieff toppled Harper, or is Harper creating new structural deficits to gain Layton's support? Is Winnipeg World-Class yet? Is the Canadian Museum for Human Rights back on budget? Are Polar Bears extinct? I have some catching up to do ...

Wednesday, 9 September 2009

You may notice that I don't post much about the goings-on at City Hall. The reason for that is because I prefer not to notice that City Hall exists. Every time I catch a glimpse of city politics, it reminds me of a never-ending episode of Big Brother: A bunch of petty and stupid people cooped up with each other, calling each other names, forming cliques and alliances, and stabbing each other in the back. Frankly, it's easier just to not look and pretend everything is fine. Unfortunately today's events with Russ Wyatt jumped off the front page and forced me to look. Damn you Free Press!

I think part of the problem is that the players rarely change. They get voted in time after time because of name recognition. They settle in, and take their position for granted. They forget what they're there to do. They have too much time to form rivalries carry grudges. Perhaps term limits are required to chase some of these old badgers and badgerettes from office so that we can get new ideas, and more importantly, new attitudes in there. With a shorter shelf life, the city councillors and the mayor may take the opportunity to work together as a team and overcome differences to get things done, rather sniping at each other from the comfort of their little ideological Lay-Z-Boy recliners.

That, however, is simply my view. I could be very wrong about what things are like at City Hall. If I am, let me know and I will make an effort to pay more attention.

Coming in a half-litre bottle with a pop bottle-type twist off cap, this looks suspiciously like garage brew ... but if so it's brewed in the garage of somebody with a sense of humour:

... and the garage is in Belgium.

The beer pours a hazy dark copper colour, and a foamy beige head forms, not unlike the stuff that gathers between rocks along the shore of the pacific. The foam dissipates slowly, leaving little clusters sticking to the glass.

I though the beer was reasonably tasty. I got some roasted walnuts and a hint of citrus in there. It leaves a tingly feeling on your tongue, with a little bit of bitterness of the back-end. Verdict: not bad for a beer lacking celery and crustaceans (and wheat and barley ... what makes this beer again?). 3 peanuts out of 5.